"It seems our Mr. Dumbledore is quite confident."
"Indeed. As the leader of the British wizarding world for decades, he has every right to be proud."
"Then let's reveal the mystery and see if Mr. Dumbledore's answer is correct."
"Mr. Dumbledore's answer is…"
For the first time in a long while, Dumbledore actually felt nervous.
The last time he'd felt this way was when Fawkes had gone missing — only to find the phoenix sitting quietly on a shelf above his head.
Ah, the curse of age… one forgets the simplest things, he mused silently.
Snape, meanwhile, stared intently at Aiden, his thoughts aligned with Dumbledore's.
If Dumbledore understood Slytherin the best, then Snape was undoubtedly the second person who did — especially when it came to the Malfoy family.
And so, his answer was the same as Dumbledore's.
"The answer is… wrong. A great pity, Professor Dumbledore — your answer was incorrect."
Aiden's calm words made the entire space freeze.
Dumbledore was stunned.
Snape was stunned.
Even Draco — whose pale face already looked ghostly — was stunned.
Outside, the young wizards immediately stopped arguing.
(Not because of Professor McGonagall's icy glare, of course… though that definitely helped.)
"Wait—how is that wrong?"
"Wasn't Draco jealous of Harry's fame? Isn't that why he keeps provoking him?"
"Could it be… because Draco actually likes Harry, and that love turned into hate?"
"You never know! Maybe he secretly—hehehe…"
"Or maybe Harry likes Draco back! You've seen the way they look at each other sometimes—it's weirdly intense."
"I still say Draco's bad news. He's just like his father — and I heard Lucius used to serve you-know-who."
The students' excited gossip echoed through the hall, while a few professors exchanged looks — clearly entertained, though a bit puzzled by the direction of the conversation.
"Severus," Dumbledore said quietly, his blue eyes gleaming.
"Would you like to try?" He was genuinely curious now.
His answer had seemed flawless. Where had he gone wrong?
"Gentlemen," a voice interrupted, full of self-confidence. "I believe I'll give it a try!"
Lockhart stepped forward dramatically, tossing his golden hair as though an invisible camera were recording him.
"Of course, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said kindly.
"If you wish to answer, by all means — press the button. This old man won't stop you."
Lockhart smiled, though he secretly muttered under his breath, If I didn't ask, who knows what trick you'd play on me later…
Nonetheless, he flashed his signature grin — that brilliant, toothy smile — and pressed the button.
"Ahhh! Professor Lockhart is so handsome!"
"Yes! He's absolutely perfect!"
The students watching from outside nearly swooned, hearts in their eyes.
Lockhart, of course, had no idea. If he did, he might've struck an even more ridiculous pose.
"Professor Dumbledore said no one understands Slytherin better than him, and I quite agree," Lockhart said smoothly.
"But I suddenly remembered your earlier reminder, That this was an improper question."
"So, what makes it improper? I think the answer must be the third one: Draco admires Harry, but because of Ron's existence, that admiration turned into resentment."
"Professor Lockhart, that's not—" Harry blurted out in panic, his face flushing bright red.
He wanted to deny it, to explain how ridiculous that was.
But before he could finish, Lockhart declared proudly, "So my answer is option C!"
"Correct answer!"
Aiden's voice rang out, quick and clear.
He was eager to end this warm-up round and move on to the main event.
The moment the words "Correct answer" echoed, the entire hall fell silent.
All six players on the high platforms turned toward Draco.
And so did everyone outside.
Their gazes were complicated — filled with curiosity, amusement, even a strange sense of… sympathy.
Draco's pale face turned crimson.
"I'm not! I didn't! I don't like Harry! And I didn't turn love into hate!" he sputtered desperately.
His protests only made things worse.
The students watching outside erupted again.
"Well, I never thought I'd say this, but… I can actually accept it."
"Yeah, it's kind of romantic in a weird way. Hitting is affection, scolding is love — it makes sense now!"
"Look at Harry's face — he's completely stunned!"
The chatter reached fever pitch, this juicy gossip sure to dominate Hogwarts' rumor mill for the rest of the year.
"I never imagined Draco's so-called rivalry was really just jealousy because of Ron," one Hufflepuff giggled.
On the high platform, Harry stared at Draco, his expression conflicted.
No… this can't be true.
There's no way he likes me… right?
Could it really be because of Ron?
He turned to glance at Ron — who, awkwardly, was also staring back at him with a complicated expression.
Oh Merlin, Harry thought. Even Ron thinks Draco likes me.
For some reason, memories of Draco — their duels, their shouting matches, the countless glares — all flashed through his mind, and doubt began to creep in.
Could it be? Does Draco really… like me?
"Harry, say something!" Draco shouted, panic rising in his voice. "Tell them I don't like you!"
Harry hesitated, then looked at him with complex eyes.
"Draco… it's impossible between us. You should just give up."
He turned away, unable to meet Draco's gaze.
But as he spoke, a strange emptiness spread in his chest.
Dumbledore, watching the scene, smiled faintly — though there was an odd hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Draco stood frozen, Harry's words echoing over and over in his mind.
It's impossible between us.
Impossible… impossible…
Aiden coughed lightly, suppressing a laugh.
[Alright. The warm-up mini-game is now over.]
[Because this question was an "improper" one, only the true answer was revealed — without explanation.]
[From this moment on, the official Q&A Game begins.]